Spartan

Society
*Understanding the basics of Spartan social life,
particularly with links to Lycurgan changes.
*understanding how Spartan government worked
• Understanding the basics of Spartan economy
The world of Leonidas
It is important for us to understand the world Leonidas lived
in so that we can:

 Understand the ideas and values that drove his choices.

 Understand how other groups of people within and outside
of his society viewed him (relationships!)
 How Spartans viewed power and leadership – how to
attain, maintain and lose it.
 Other groups he had relationships with and what these
might have added or taken away from him as a leader.
Social Groups in Sparta
• Sparta is unique in her social groups for so many reasons, in particular:
• A ‘slave base’ of helots which basically fed and supported the needs of Sparta. But
this slave base lived in their own housing and land areas, they weren’t like the slaves
of Athens or elsewhere.
• A second base the perioikoi, who worked artisans, farmers and so on to support the
Spartans.
• Women were treated differently to elsewhere in Greece. Women were literate, could
own land, could divorce their husbands, were trained in similar physical abilities to
men and were considered the ‘walls of Sparta’.
• Children were raised by everyone in Sparta. The school system was run by the state
for all Spartan boys, and children could be reprimanded by any Spartan citizen.
Helots
• One of the key features of the social structure in ancient Sparta were
the helots. The term has two origins. First, it directly translates to “captive,’
and second, it’s believed to be closely linked to the city of Helos, the citizens
of which were made into the first helots in ancient Spartan society.

• For all intents and purposes, the helots were slaves. They were needed
because Spartan citizens, also known as Spartiates, were forbidden from
doing manual labour, meaning they needed forced labour to work the land
and produce food. Yet they were still treated quite poorly by the Spartans.
Each year, the Spartans would declare “war” (krypteia) on the helots, giving
Spartan citizens the right to kill helots as they saw fit.
Furthermore, helots were expected to go off to war when commanded to do
so by Spartan leadership, the punishment for resisting being death.

More on helots:
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-important-events/helots-slave-wa
rriors-ancient-sparta-003184
Perioikoi
• Under the rule of Sparta, the perioikoi belonged to the sate,
subject to the control of Sparta but not Spartan citizens.
• Their territory, the perioikis (Περίοικις, meaning around the
home), formed part of their territory within Sparta itself. It
can be noted that their poleis/cities acted as a sort of buffer
around Sparta, shielding it from outside influence. They
were permitted to have some contact with outsiders and to
trade.
• The perioikoi had the rights to own lands, and belonged to
the civic army the same title as equals: they were hoplites in
the army also. They could not participate in any political
decisions and could not marry Spartan women.

More on the perioikoi:http

://spartareconsidered.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-perioikoi-closer-look-at-spartas.html
Women
While many parts of Spartan society were considerably
unequal, and freedoms were limited for all but the most elite,
women were granted a much more significant role in Spartan
life than they were in other Greek cultures at the time.

Of course, they were far from equals, but they were afforded
freedoms unheard of in the ancient world. For example, as
compared to Athens where women were restricted from going
outside, had to live in their father’s house, and were required
to wear dark, concealing clothing, women in Sparta were not
only allowed but encouraged to go outside, exercise, and wear
clothing that allowed them more freedom.

Spartan woman. Believed to be

running, but then how can she look Women in Sparta: https://www.ancient.eu/article/123/the-women-of-sparta-athletic-educated-and-outspoke/
backwards? Maybe dancing? https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/spartan-women-0013188
Some aspects of the lives of Spartan women:

• Could fraternize with Spartan men in public. Known for

their razor-sharp wit and bluntness.
• Physical education
• Physical competition
• A gravestone was given if they died in childbirth (men
only got one if they died in war, sometimes).
• Literate (could read and write).
• Allowed to own land and property.
• Not allowed to wear makeup, but were known for
impressive natural beauty perhaps due to their physical
activity.
• Known as the “walls of Sparta”.
• Married normally around 18, unlike the norm of 14 in
Athens. Note that men could not marry until 30.
• Not dressed lavishly or with jewels. Hair styles differed,
young girls had their hair long and married women cut it
shorter. Clothing was a short, simple, somewhat
revealing chiton as seen to the right
Words of women
We have almost zero extant writings from any women in Greece, and this is primarily as the vast majority were illiterate. All
our major writings are by men, for male audiences. Women, however, were quite different in that their voices can be heard
even today and tell us so much about their world and character. Let’s look at some…
A Spartan woman, as she was
handing her son his shield, said, When asked by
“Son, come home with this this or somebody whether When a Spartan woman was
on this”. she would be good if asked if she had made
he were to buy her, advances to a man, she said,
When asked by a woman from she said “yes, and “No I did not, but he made
elsewhere in Greece, “Why are even if you don’t buy them to me”.
Spartan women the only ones who me”.
can rule men?”, Gorgo replied,
“For we are also the only ones
who give birth to men”. After hearing that her son was a coward
(Leonidas’s wife! Queen Gorgo) and unworthy of her, Damatria killed him
When a Spartan mother
when he made his appearance, this is the
heard her son was on trial
epigram about her: ‘Damatrius who
As someone was describing his for a crime, said to him,
broke the laws was killed by his mother”.
brother’s noble death to his ‘Son, release yourself from
mother, she said, “isn’t it a this charge or from life”
disgrace, then, not to have
Another woman who killed her
gone on such a fine journey
son for being a coward had this
with him”.
written about her:
A woman, in reply to
“Away to the darkness, cowardly
her some, who
offspring, where out of hatred When told her son died in battle, this declared that the
Eurotas does not flow even for woman said: sword he had was a
the timorous deer. Useless pup, “Let there be weeping for cowards, small one, said: “Then
worthless portion, away to Hell! but you, child, without a tear do I extend it by a stride”.
Away! This son is unworthy of bury, you are my son and Sparta’s
Sparta and was not mine at all. too.
 Children
• If you were a child in Sparta, you would have to be strong, blessed with
excellent genetics or a fast learner. Spartan children had a responsibility
placed upon them at birth, to serve Sparta, and in order to serve Sparta, you
had to be strong and learn fast.
• The Spartan government was only interested in the best for its state, which
meant that strong children were the only ones that would survive. Both baby
girls and boys were put through initial tests at birth to see if they were strong
enough to be useful to the state. These tests included washing the new-born
in wine and testing their strength/health. If a child did not pass these fitness
or health tests, they would be left to die, outside of main living area of the
state, typically in the wild, or in the mountains. Sparta was not a state to
accept anything but the best, and this practise started at a young age.
• The treatment of boys and girls in Sparta was different, but they shared
many similarities, something other Greek states could not. The Spartan way
of life required that both boys and girls be strong, powerful and capable.
Education of the mind and body was deemed important for both sexes, and
the Spartan girls and boys would have the opportunity to prove themselves
worthy of membership.
Being whipped for being caught
stealing.
Young boys
Once the boys had proved themselves to be fit to survive, they had much hardship ahead of
them, but all with the purpose of ensuring the combined strength of Sparta. Up until the age
of six to seven the Spartan boys would live with their parents, or their mother and maid, but
all the while they would have the importance of the state of Sparta drummed into their
psyche.
• Once they left home the Spartan boys would join the public education of the state, or
their military training, and become part of the Agoge which was a Spartan method for
instilling the values of Sparta in their future warriors. It was here that they will live in
shared quarters, and assigned to a group. The education would be structured based on
age, with the first stage running from 6/7 to 17, and then from 17 to 20, even after 20 the
education would continue, to age 29/30 where a Spartan and earn more freedom and
rights as a citizen.
• In the first state the Spartan boys would move into their barracks, where they would live
with other Spartan boys of the same age, their new home would be simple and sparse.
• In the second stage the Spartan boys would now become reserve members of the army
of the state, however still not classes as men, they would only be called to battle in
needed situations. There was also other opportunities at this age for the Spartan boys
included being assigned to a special guard of secret police in the Spartan state.
• The third stage would now begin at age 20, the Spartan boys would be voted into one of
the existing public messes, and the existing members would control who would enter
their mess. It is believed that the boys would have the next ten years to earn acceptance
into one of the available messes.
Story of the boy and the fox… 
https://www.ancient.eu/article/342/the-spartan-education/
(more on education)
Young girls
• Spartan girls like the boys would live with their parents up until the age of six or seven, after that
they would be required to attend a school of sorts. This attitude of educating girls was something
rather unique about Sparta, but the girls would live, sleep and exercise in their own living quarters.
• While in this stage the Spartan girls would have to learn many things, and while documentation
about exactly what Spartan girls would learn is rare, it’s commonly thought that their education
was almost an equal to that of the boys. Subjects they would study included poetry, history, drama,
reading and writing, music and art among other subjects and would provide them with enough
knowledge to give them a position no other woman in Greece would experience at the time.
• Just like the boys, Spartan girls would be expected to be physically fit. A healthy woman would give
birth to healthy babies, which when you think about it makes perfect sense, and the Spartans lived
by this. The young Spartan girls would be allowed to exercise publicly outside with the Spartan
boys, another rarity in ancient Greece, where most girls were not allowed even outside unless
performing a chore or some description. Spartan girls would even learn combat, how to fight,
wrestle and even gymnastic training, all of which would prepare them suitably should they ever
need to defend themselves or Sparta.
• The next test in life for Spartan girls would occur when they turned 18, and their physical training
would be key to them succeeding. At this age, Spartan girls would be tested for citizenship, it’s
thought that this test was a mix of physical testing and mental testing, and allowed them to prove
their worth and is successful become a citizen of Sparta. If the girl would fail her test, then she
would not qualify to become a citizen and would be marked as middle class, which the Spartans
would refer to as perioikos.
• Once a Spartan girl had passed her test, she was now a woman and all the benefits that were
afforded to her from this were now available.
Pause and think: Social Relationships
As king, Leonidas was surrounded in groups
Past exam question:
and individuals. We have looked at two
groups in particular who impacted his rule: Describe in detail ONE significant
relationship between a classical
historical figure and a group.
• Helots In what ways did this relationship
• Perioikoi advantage and / or disadvantage the
classical historical figure?
• Women (mother, wife etc)
• Agoge system – other boys, leaders.

Let’s unpack how these groups would have

helped and hindered him as a leader.
 Lycurgas: Spartan
law maker
• Lycurgus (Λυκοῦργος) was the quasi-legendary lawgiver of Sparta who established the
military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the Oracle of
Apollo at Delphi. All his reforms promoted the three Spartan virtues: equality (among
citizens), military fitness, and austerity.

His reforms:
• Created the gerouisa of 30 (28 men and 2 kings).
• Land reforms, all land divided equally.
• Currency, he forbade use of gold and silver, no dependence on coinage and no
Spartan coins. Spartans used ‘pelanors’.
• Common public mess halls.
• Education of children – agoge system and girls equality.
• Women’s role and physical importance
• Marriage laws

Lycurgus himself was said to be mild, gentle, forgiving, and calm in temper, even when
attacked; he was thought to have been extraordinarily sober and an extremely hard
worker, all qualities that other Greeks admired in the Spartans; in this sense he was also
the "founder" of the admirable qualities displayed by contemporary Spartans of later
ages.
 • The government and powers in Sparta were extremely
unique. They had almost every political type in their
system:
• Monarchy: Two kings
• Aristocracy: Spartan elite

Government
• Egalitarian: Democratic, women in
particular. The Assemblies and Council.

in Sparta • Dictatorial type roles: powers of the king

and ephors
• Theocracy: Ephors had religious power.

• So, let’s discuss the table on the next slide.

I am going to print this out for you.
 • The power of the kings was not infinite,
but shared and balanced by other
powers
• Their was a powerful religious streak in
So what government (ephors). 2 of the 5 of
these old guys would even go to war
does this with the army!
• All Spartan men were involved in govt
tell us? • Military age and military success
impacted your involvement in govt.
• Two kings meant there was always
someone in charge.
Pause: Political Relationships
We have now looked at some political relationships which Leonidas will have
had. These include:

• The Ephors – religious and political

• Gerousia and apella (Council and Assembly)

• As a class, let’s go find out more as to what powers these groups had in
ancient Sparta. I am going to give you 10minutes to hit Google then we will
come back as a class to discuss how these relationships might have impacted
Leonidas. Write your ideas on the back of the sheet you have.
• We will see more specific examples to Leonidas later.
Task today
Xenophon was an ancient Athenian. He was a cavalry commanded and well
respected soldier, but also a writer. So, a powerful nerd! He wrote a lot of texts, but
he also wrote about Sparta. His writings are unique as he actually LIVED in Sparta
and had both of his sons educated there. This is highly unusual. What this does offer
us is a very interesting glimpse into Sparta from someone who LIVED there. Whilst
he is Athenian, and biased, he is also less so than others.

I enjoy Xenophon as he doesn’t fluff about. He writes short, easy to read works. So
his entire work ‘On Sparta’ is only 10 pages long. Rather than the thousands of
pages other writers might fill. Today, I want us to read his work. I have made it into a
Word Doc and commented all the way through it as originally I wanted to read this
as a class. Your task is:
1. Read over the Word Doc ‘Xenophon: On Sparta’. Take some basic notes as you
go.
2. Answer the questions on the next slide, put answers in your Google Doc for
today. We will go over these together, but as that may be some time away it
is important you save this work.
 For these answers, each MUST have a book/line number in
the answer 

1. List three things unique to Sparta from the rest of Greece.

Questions 2. How and why were women treated differently in Sparta?

3. What was the role of the Spartan king?
for 4. What did Spartans admire?
5. What does Xenophon seem to admire about the Spartans?
Xenophon’s: 6. What was it like for a young boy in Sparta? (or a young
man)

On Sparta 7. What gods were focused on? Why?

8. Why was the Spartan army so successful?
9. What happened to cowards?
10. What was the King’s oath and what does it tell us about
Sparta?
Evidence from Xenophon
Having read Xenophon, let’s go through as a class and highlight what we can find that may tell us what
makes a good LEADER and what = POWER in Sparta. You will be looking for what leaders are doing,
expectations of them and so on.

LEADERSHIP POWER RELATIONSHIPS